Sony Europe enters Megapixel camera market

Sony Europe's Image Sensing Solutions Division (ISS) has announced its
entry into the CMOS camera module market with the introduction of the
MCB-882P 3.15 MPixel CMOS camera module for industrial and related
applications. The ultra-compact, feature-rich unit is targeted at OEM's and
integrators of equipment where a small camera module is required. Typical
application areas will include industrial, security, ATM and medical.

"The introduction of a CMOS image sensing module to the Sony ISS product
portfolio, which has previously been based on CCD sensors only, is a new
move for us. Customers have been demanding such a product from Sony for
integration in portable applications and we are proud to be delivering on
that request. Working closely with our OEM and system integration customers
we expect the versatile MCB-882P to take Sony ISS into new applications and
market sectors we were unable to previously penetrate. These are exciting
times," said Pascal Wojciechowski, Director, Sony Image Sensing Solutions
Europe.

The Sony MCB-882P has been designed to provide the flexibility to design
very compact systems. The CMOS-based progressive scan unit delivers 30 fps
and features an auto focus Lens, 16x digital zoom, electronic Image
stabilization, auto exposure, auto white balance and I2C control interface,
all in a small package size of only 18.8 x 15.6 x 8.63mm. The complete unit
weighs just 3.5 grams.

The MCB-882P camera provides a high-quality image of with up to 16x digital
zoom. The lens delivers a wide viewing angle of up to 53 degrees and a high
performance 'minimum object distance' of 100mm. The unit has an operating
temperature range of -10C to 45C, and has a maximum power consumption of 230mW.

The 3.15 MPixel (2048 H x 1536 W) progressive scan CMOS sensor enables
digital YUV video or JPEG still image outputs. The use of progressive scan
techniques to eliminate interlace effects will make the MCB-882P series a
particularly attractive alternative for users who need to capture
high-quality images of moving objects; and for those who need to view
footage in slow motion or acquire still images from video. Progressive scan
capture also simplifies the processing in intelligent surveillance
applications such as motion detection.

The advantages of CMOS has continued to gather momentum as an alternative to
CCDs in image sensors. The integration of the lens into the sensor,
together with other circuitry, eliminates any need for assembly of optical
components when building the device into applications that reduces
manufacturing costs, and enables shorter development times.

The MCB-882P 3.15 MPixel compact CMOS image sensor is available now from
Sony.